If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…

He’s going to want a glass of milk. I must have read that line to my children a hundred times. It was one of their favorite books when they were toddlers. I had forgotten the line but was reminded of it when I watched Harrison Ford say it almost under his breath in Air Force One. He makes a great President in that movie. His character is someone to be proud of and a man you can admire. His character displays both the talk and the walk that is so desperately needed in the Oval Office.

The thought behind the mouse and the cookie is that once you start giving things to people, they begin to expect both that thing and begin to have additional wants. Pretty soon, you have a society that expects everything and contributes nothing. Sounds like socialism. You end up with a society of have and have nots and there is no reward for continued contribution. Guess which side wins? In the 1960’s, our government started down the path of rewarding lack of incentive and sheer laziness by providing milk and cookies to anyone who finds the path to Chocolate Chipville. What amazes me is that instead of helping to get them back on their feet, our government chases after these people and courts them as voters. This just perpetuates the system. What’s up with that?

Now I realize that there are some people that truly need support and those are the ones the cookies and milk are meant for. We should not punish those that are truly in need because some people choose to abuse the safety net that our nation’s citizens are paying for. (I know I have ended two sentences with the word for but I can’t help it.) As a Christian, it is not up to me to sort these things out. God sees into every heart and knows your need. If you choose to abuse the system, it is your salvation that may need repaired. I realize that it is my responsibility to help those in need. The fact that I think someone is faking their need should not be my concern. It is difficult to remove the judgment from my thought process and turn that over to God. Maybe if I got a cookie. Of course, no cookies can compare to eternal life in Heaven. That after all is the ultimate box of hot, chewy Toll House cookies.

Icool

Cobb